The Cosmopolitan Suite

Gideon saw right through her. His sharp gaze pierced her pathetic lies, making her stomach twist with sudden nerves. Before she could stumble through another excuse, the ground vanished beneath her feet. Gideon swept her into his arms in one fluid motion.

Cora gasped, instinctively throwing her arms around his thick neck to steady herself. The sheer heat of his broad chest radiated against her, his warm breath fanning her flushed skin. Her heart hammered against her ribs. What happened to his gentlemanly freeze-out? Why was he suddenly so bold?

"Does it still hurt?" his cool, detached baritone rumbled above her head.

"Um..." Cora gulped, her eyes glued to the razor-sharp angles of his jaw. "No... It doesn't hurt anymore." She couldn't tear her gaze away from his breathtakingly handsome face.

A low, dark chuckle escaped his lips. Ignoring the gawking crowd of bodyguards and patrons, he carried her straight through the neon-lit exit to the sleek black Maybach idling at the curb. He dumped her into the spacious back seat and slid in beside her. "To the Cosmopolitan," he ordered the driver.

Cora swallowed hard, her mind reeling. The Cosmopolitan? That was a five-star hotel.

Twenty minutes later, they stepped into the penthouse suite. Gideon didn't waste a single second. He tossed Cora onto the king-sized bed and headed straight for the bathroom. The heavy click of the door finally shattered her daze, bringing the gravity of the situation crashing down on her.

*I seduced Gideon Lockwood, and now we're in a hotel room.* It felt way too easy. Was he setting a trap?

She shook her head, gripping the edge of the mattress. She didn't care. The image of catching Declan cheating on her burned behind her eyelids, fueling her liquid courage. Sleeping with this gorgeous, powerful man was the ultimate revenge against that jerk. She was looking forward to the physical encounter.

But first, she needed her medication.

Cora scrambled up and ripped open her purse, her hands shaking as she dug through the contents. She needed to take that pill before he came back out.

During her college years, an ex-boyfriend had turned into a monster and tried to force himself on her. She had fought him off with everything she had, but the severe trauma left her with a paralyzing phobia of physical intimacy. Even after marrying Declan, every time he tried to touch her, a crushing wave of nausea would hit her. Her stomach would churn at the crucial moment, forcing her to flee to the guest room just to keep from being sick. Her untreated phobia was the sole reason she remained a virgin throughout her marriage. The better Declan had treated her, the guiltier she had felt.

A friend had recently procured an expensive drug from overseas that suppressed the crippling anxiety and gag reflex. She had planned to use it for her anniversary, but Declan had ruined that with his infidelity. Now, she desperately needed it to survive the night with Gideon.

Her fingers scraped the bottom of the empty leather bag. Her blood ran cold. She had switched purses before leaving the house. The pills were sitting on her bedroom dresser.

Before panic could fully set in, the bathroom door swung open. Gideon stepped out, and all the air left Cora's lungs.

He was half-naked, rubbing a white towel through his damp, dark hair. Water droplets traced the sharp grooves of his chest, trailing down a perfect set of abs before disappearing beneath the waistband of his dark trousers. He exuded an overwhelming, raw masculinity that made her throat go dry. He was a spectacular specimen of a man.

Gideon tossed the towel aside. Accustomed to women throwing themselves at him, his expression remained frosty. He crossed the room, closing the physical distance between them with lethal grace. He stopped right beside the bed, leaning dangerously close. His masculine scent enveloped her, intoxicating her senses.

"Are you satisfied?" he murmured, his face inches from her burning cheeks.

"I-I am," she stammered, her mind spinning from his proximity.

But then, the familiar, paralyzing terror slammed into her. Her stomach did a sickening flip. The suffocating mix of intense physical attraction and deep psychological dread clawed up her throat. Her body was rejecting the intimacy. If she stayed here for another second, she was going to hurl all over this magnificent man. All she wanted was to flee the room before her stomach churned inside out.

"Uh... I need to go out and get something," she choked out, scrambling to slide past him toward the door.